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Large Down Payment vs Mortgage chances

Posted on: 05th Oct, 2008 06:23 pm
Now, I've heard this from a mortgage broker and it does not sound true to me so I will put this question to you.

If you have limited income shown on a tax return but you have a large downpayment, say 20 - 35% down, will a large down payment get you approved? Or is this guy on another planet?
You would need sufficient income to pay the mortgage. All mortgages require sometype of income requirement. Usually in the form of debt to income ratio. Having a large downpayment will decrease the amount you are borrowing which will in turn reduce your monthly payments. Which will in turn reduce your debt to income ration. A 20% down payment in most cases will also remove hour requirement for private mortgage insurance. FHA insured mortgages only require a 3% downpayment are more foregiving in regards to debt to income ration. They are also not "credit score dependent", although some institutions have a minimum credit score of 585-600 for their individual fha programs.

Hope this helps. Mortgages are fairly complicated. Without all the details its difficult to say the broker is being straight with you. My advice is to talk to your local bank, or credit union and avoid a broker if possible. Take a copies of your credit report with you, and let the loan officer review them as a first step. It will save mulitple pulls if you need to shop around.

Good Luck
Posted on: 06th Oct, 2008 02:59 am
Please execuse all of the "typos" above. I didnt proofread prior to posting..
Posted on: 06th Oct, 2008 03:01 am
It is all about what you can afford.
At a 6% rate, it's $6 per $1000.
So if you are thinking about putting $5000 more down, that would save you $30 a month.

It needs to make sense. What can you afford as a mortgage payment. then go from there.
Posted on: 06th Oct, 2008 07:46 am
ignore marty!

as for the "advice" your broker gave you...i question its validity.

your income, sd, as we discussed a few days ago, will be determined by your tax returns; and in 2008 you'll find lenders are far less impressed by cash outlays than they are by accurate and reasonable income numbers. your broker may be at least partially correct, but beware.

never believe everything you are told - it is far better to be a bit skeptical.
Posted on: 06th Oct, 2008 11:26 am
Thanks Mr. Akerley,

I got that guy's number from a real estate agent.

Im more than a little skeptical about that bit of information, so I talked to Bank of America and AXXA mortgage today. Bank of America has a program that interests me; my income just has to be at/under the median income of the area Im looking, my score has to be better than 660 and I have to put 10% down.

Axxa on the other hand wants to offer me a stated income loan using the Gross Income on my Schedule C, at a higher interest rate, for a mortgage over $70k only? My score has to be over a 700 to be eligible and I have to put 20% down.

I think I'll stick to a lender I know that's actually reputable.
Posted on: 06th Oct, 2008 03:31 pm
i am taking it for granted that "guest" is actually you, jd. also, i called you "sd" yesterday - didn't pay enough attention, i guess. my apologies.

you are right on with that last comment - stick with someone reputable.
Posted on: 07th Oct, 2008 08:16 am
Yes, that was me. I am finding all this feedback very helpful and am grateful that someone is actually answering my questions instead of dodging them. :D

I've just got rid of the accountant who was giving me advice and will be using a new one who actually knows what they are doing. Like using the estimated tax form from the IRS to pre-pay your self employment taxes during the year so you can claim the income you actually make on your 1040 and not be stressed out about what you may possibly owe on April 15th. Whew! :roll: That could have saved me a lot of headache. LOL :D

Well, if it was just my credit score like that dodgy broker I've been speaking to for the past 18 months has been telling me along with "Gross" income, then yeah, I would be fine for a mortgage. I am now adjusting my mortgage schedule to a modest 24 months. From now.

It is two years of tax returns they need right? Not one? So....yes, 24 months. I've opened a 12 month CD to help save for the downpayment and closing costs. Hopefully I will get a FHA loan if those things are still around. Who knows if home prices are going to shoot back up by the time I do apply 24 months from now. :? Just have to stay vigilant and optimistic.

Hey, do CDs count for bank statements? I'll have one 12 mth CD, a personal savings and a personal checking by then. What about a money market account? Yes, don't laugh too hard but I was planning to finally realize that at 31 Im am getting old. :oops: A little late but better than never. When the market bottoms out it should be a great time to invest.

But back to the question....will all those accounts qualify for any bank statements they may want and would that also count as income?
Posted on: 09th Oct, 2008 02:46 pm
any asset accounts you have that are verifiable will count, jd; so you are smart to open the cd and, of course, to maintain and increase your deposits.

as to whether they count as income...income is income. savings is savings. you gain interest on the savings, which is income; but that's not something that would be considered unless you have a two year history of receiving interest income (based on tax return) that would benefit you.

the benefit would be if your interest earnings were sufficient to make a difference in how you qualify. clearly, i dont know your situation, but short-term savings isn't going to do much for your qualifications. over the next 2 years, you may garner enough interest to make a difference, but keep in mind that interest paid on savings is minimal these days.

as for fha...that's probably going to be the predominant lending facility for many years to come.
Posted on: 10th Oct, 2008 06:50 am
Elnora Little is a bit incorrect on her rate quote. At 6% ($6/$100) your interests caluculates much higher and is based on other factors--length of loan, fix or AMR?
Today (and in the past) with so much stupidity behind Institutional Mortgage companies, finding an owner seller financing plan is the best way to go. You can eiliminate Points, PMI, and all other rediculous fees these places charge to sell a home---even an escrow is rediculous today when this information is easy to find and costs little or nothing out of pocket.
No one has ever gone after another group of people for the problems we are facing---the Realtor. Realtors charge a % of the sale. Ask yourself this--If a Realtor has 2 listings--one for $100k and the other for $600k, which one is the Realtor going to work harder for? AND---When the sale of each happens, is there more paperwork for the $600k home?
The answer is obvious and there is NO difference in the amount of work done by the Realtor. SO WHY IS THERE A % FEE? The best answewr to this is GREED. Realtors would sell a house worth $150k for more than $4 mil if they knew they could get away with it. We should ALL be looking to get RID OF THEM and find a better way to sell homes making a fair offer to the buyer and giving the buyer the chance to find a mortgage they can afford. I know you want YOUR money too, but IF you are as GREEDY as the REALTOR, then we will NEVER dig our way out and we can expect the same GREED from our politicians---so DON'T come running when the DAM BREAKS.
Posted on: 24th Oct, 2010 05:49 pm
In defense of Elnora's "rate quote" - she wrote that response in 2008! This is 2010...please, readers, pay attention to the timeframe in which our answers were given before responding to them.

Other than that, I'm not sure I have much to comment on the rant above by our "Guest."
Posted on: 26th Oct, 2010 10:58 am
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